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Peter Sherayko<\/p>\nPeter Sherayko\u2019s new book touches on Senate Bill 132, which took effect Jan. 1, 2025, and created new firearm safety rules for film and television sets following the 2021 \u201cRust\u201d shooting that killed a crew member and injured the director.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sherayko\u2019s advice for filmmakers in the book: \u201cDon\u2019t hire stupid people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cProve It Safe: Gun Safety for the Movies\u201d is a project that came to Sherayko in the wake of the \u201cRust\u201d shooting and the legislation that followed. With over 50 years of experience in film and TV as an actor, historical consultant and armorer, Sherayko sought to address the safe handling of firearms in Hollywood, exploring the history of guns in screen media and outlining the best practices for properly managing weapons during production.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his new book, Sherayko draws on his extensive experience as a film and TV armorer to explain what proper firearms handling should look like. His goal was to ensure that everyone working on movie and TV sets understands the basic rules and safety procedures around guns. He believes that when everyone knows what a safe set looks like, they\u2019ll feel more confident, and accidents can be prevented.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sherayko, 78, grew up watching westerns on TV. He especially enjoyed \u201cThe Roy Rogers Show,\u201d \u201cZorro,\u201d \u201cThe Lone Ranger\u201d and \u201cHave Gun \u2014 Will Travel.\u201d As a kid, he so admired the horsemanship the characters displayed in those shows and, of course, how they handled guns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Sherayko became interested in acting later in life, he dreamed of working on westerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to make westerns,\u201d he said, \u201cwhich everybody laughed at, because it\u2019s a small, niche genre that not a lot of people care about. But I\u2019ve made a very good living and comfortable living doing what I like to do and making westerns better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sherayko is most proud of being able to create historical accuracy. Some of the projects he\u2019s worked on over his career include 1993\u2019s \u201cTombstone,\u201d 1997\u2019s \u201cRough Riders,\u201d the early 2000\u2019s \u201cDeadwood,\u201d 2015\u2019s \u201cBone Tomahawk\u201d and 2020\u2019s \u201cA Soldier\u2019s Revenge.\u201d His credits also include a number of documentary series, many of which cover the old West.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Peter Sherayko<\/p>\n
He noted that the majority of the projects he\u2019s worked on have included firearms. In fact, he estimated that around 70% of all movies and TV shows include at least one weapon. In his book, he addressed the widespread use of weapons on sets and the relatively small number of accidents that have occurred throughout film and television history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first firearm mishap took place on the 1915 Cecil B. DeMille movie \u201cThe Captive.\u201d Sherayko said there wasn\u2019t another incident until the 1993 film \u201cThe Crow,\u201d when actor Brandon Lee was accidentally and fatally shot during production.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And while Sherayko acknowledged that accidents are rare, incidents like the one on \u201cRust\u201d show that mishaps can still happen. Safety, he said, should always be a top priority.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gary Tarpinian, executive producer of the TV series \u201cWild West Chronicles\u201d and \u201cElkhorn\u201d \u2014 both of which he worked on with Sherayko \u2014 said Sherayko\u2019s book should be required reading for anyone handling weapons on a film or TV set. Having worked on a slew of westerns over the course of his career and so often being around firearms on set, he emphasized that anyone around any weapons, no matter the circumstances, should respect the potential for harm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like asking a sailor, \u2018Are you ever afraid of going on sea?\u2019\u201d Tarpinian said during a recent telephone interview. \u201cWell, if you say no, then you\u2019re going to get into trouble because you have to have that respect. That danger is always there. But if you prepare properly \u2014 you do everything by the book \u2014 you won\u2019t have any issues.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tarpinian said the \u201cRust\u201d incident has had a broad impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe that one isolated incident can affect the entire film industry. Peter said, \u2018You know, I\u2019ve been talking about doing this (the book) for a while. Someone needs to write down the do\u2019s and don\u2019ts.\u2019 And I said, \u2018Peter, who better than you?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Sherayko, the \u201cRust\u201d incident was more than just a call to action \u2014 it was a reminder of the deep responsibility that comes with the work he does. Years of experience have taught him that passion and professionalism must go hand in hand, especially on particular sets where the stakes can be high. Yet, despite the added scrutiny and evolving protocols, his commitment to the work and the way he feels about what he does for a living hasn\u2019t wavered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A friend of his once told him something that really stuck with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018If you can make a living as an adult doing the dreams of your childhood, then you\u2019ve got it made. Nothing else in the world should bother you,\u2019\u201d Sherayko said. \u201cSo, think about what you liked to do when you were 10 years old. If you can achieve those dreams, you\u2019ll be doing OK.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sherayko said he\u2019s doing more than OK.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sherayko\u2019s book \u201cProve It Safe: Gun Safety for the Movies\u201d can be found where most books are sold. For more about Sherayko and his other work, visit his production company\u2019s website at CaravanWest.com<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Peter Sherayko\u2019s new book touches on Senate Bill 132, which took effect Jan. 1, 2025, and created new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4946,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[489,156,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-4945","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}